Stanford University School of Medicine facts for kids
 |
|
| Type | Private medical school |
|---|---|
| Established | 1908 |
|
Parent institution
|
Stanford University |
| Dean | Lloyd B. Minor |
|
Academic staff
|
801 |
| Students | 3,498 |
| Postgraduates | 1,158 |
| Location |
,
,
United States
37°26′04″N 122°10′34″W / 37.43444°N 122.17611°W |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Vice Dean | Linda M. Boxer |
The Stanford University School of Medicine is a famous medical school that is part of Stanford University. It is located in Stanford, California, in the United States. This school helps train future doctors and medical researchers.
The school's history goes way back to 1858. It started as the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific in San Francisco. Later, it was known as Cooper Medical College. Stanford University took over this college in 1908. In 1959, the medical school moved to the main Stanford campus, which is closer to Palo Alto, California.
Today, the School of Medicine works closely with Stanford Health Care (a hospital for adults) and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Together, they form what is known as Stanford Medicine.
Contents
A Look Back: The School's History
The story of Stanford's medical school began in 1855. A doctor named Elias Samuel Cooper moved to San Francisco. He worked with the University of the Pacific to create the first medical school on the West Coast in 1858. Sadly, Dr. Cooper passed away in 1862, and the school struggled without him.
Rebuilding and Growth
In 1870, Dr. Cooper's nephew, Levi Cooper Lane, helped restart the medical department. In 1882, Lane gave money for a new building. He made the department a separate school called Cooper Medical College. He also built a hospital and a nursing school. He even helped create the Lane Medical Library, which is a library full of medical books.
In 1908, Cooper Medical College was given to Stanford University. It became Stanford's official medical school. At first, it was called the Stanford Medical Department. Later, it became the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Moving to the Main Campus
In the 1950s, Stanford decided to move the medical school. They wanted it to be on the main Stanford campus near Palo Alto. This big move was finished in 1959. The old medical campus in San Francisco later became the California Pacific Medical Center.
Modern Expansions
The Medical Center grew a lot in the 1980s. A new hospital was added in 1989. It had many new operating rooms and special care units. The Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine also opened in 1989. This center focuses on understanding diseases at a tiny, molecular level. The Lucile Packard Children's Hospital was finished in 1991. This hospital helps many children get the care they need.
In the early 2000s, the School of Medicine continued to build new facilities. The Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge opened in 2010. It is a modern building that combines medical research with teaching. The Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building also opened in 2010. It is one of the largest places for stem cell research in North America. Stem cells are special cells that can turn into many different types of cells.
How Students Learn at Stanford Medicine
The School of Medicine uses a modern way of teaching. Instead of long lectures in class, students often learn new information at home. Then, they use their class time to solve problems and work together. This is sometimes called a "flipped classroom" approach.
Training Physician Assistants
Stanford also trains physician assistants (PAs). PAs are healthcare professionals who work with doctors. They can examine patients, diagnose illnesses, and prescribe medicine. Stanford partnered with Foothill College in 1971 to start a PA program.
Today, the Stanford School of Medicine offers a Master of Science in PA Studies program. This program trains PAs to work in any area of medicine. They also learn to be leaders in community health and medical education. PA students even take some classes with medical doctor (MD) students. This program lasts 30 months and accepts about 27 students each year. It is very competitive to get in!
Top Rankings and Admissions
Stanford is known as one of the best medical schools in the country. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked Stanford as the fourth-best medical school for research in the United States.
Getting into the MD program at Stanford is very difficult. For example, in 2019, almost 7,000 people applied. Only about 175 were accepted for just 90 spots!
Stanford uses a special interview system called the multiple mini-interview. This system helps them evaluate candidates in a fair way.
Stanford also has a top-ranked Biosciences PhD Program. This program focuses on biological sciences. In 2019, it was ranked first among graduate programs in this field. Stanford's graduate specialties were also highly ranked in areas like genetics, neuroscience, and cell biology.
Amazing Faculty at the School
The School of Medicine has many talented teachers and researchers. There are almost 2,000 full-time faculty members. Over the years, eight faculty members have won Nobel Prizes for their important discoveries.
In 2019, some of the faculty members included:
- 37 members of the National Academy of Sciences
- 49 members of the National Academy of Medicine
- 4 MacArthur Foundation "geniuses" (people who receive special awards for their creativity)
- 15 Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators (top researchers)
- 26 National Institutes of Health Innovator and Young Innovator Award winners
Notable People from Stanford Medicine
Many important people have studied or taught at Stanford University School of Medicine. Here are a few examples:
Notable Alumni
- Lori Alvord – The first female Diné surgeon to be certified.
- Amy Chow – An Olympic gold medalist in gymnastics.
- Eric Heiden – An Olympic gold medalist in speed skating and also a physician.
- Scott Parazynski – A NASA astronaut who flew on five Space Shuttle missions.
- Ray Lyman Wilbur – A former president of Stanford University and a personal doctor to President Harding.
Notable Faculty
- Paul Berg – Won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering how to combine DNA from different sources.
- Karl Deisseroth – A pioneer in optogenetics, a method that uses light to control cells in the brain.
- Andrew Fire – Won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on how genes are turned off.
- Thomas J. Fogarty – An inventor with over 100 surgical patents, including a special balloon catheter.
- Brian Kobilka – Won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on how cells receive signals.
- Roger Kornberg – Won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on how genes are copied.
- Joshua Lederberg – A founder of Stanford's genetics department and a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winner.
- Norman Shumway – A pioneer in heart transplant surgery.
- Thomas C. Südhof – Won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries about how brain cells communicate.
See also
In Spanish: Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad Stanford para niños
